


When the party's over

by seraniums



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Sad with a Happy Ending, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has Feelings, Zen Garden (Detroit: Become Human), instances of sensory overload, on amanda's part, reed900
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 09:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraniums/pseuds/seraniums
Summary: It was clear to Gavin, however, that Nines wasn’t going anywhere. He stayed clinging to Gavin’s jacket on the cold kitchen floor. His weakness was on full display. Of course, Nines wanted to leave. Walk swiftly away from sight and erase this incident from his memory. But then he’d lose the memory of Gavin having empathy for him, and it was the fear of erasing such a rare behavior from the brash, stubborn detective that kept him close.Too close.Nines begins to unravel himself from Amanda's web, thanks to a certain detective, and Amanda doesn't take that so well.





	When the party's over

Her. It was her. Creeping behind him. If her breathing wasn't an optical illusion, he was certainly close enough to feel it on his shoulders. His back shivered as he took another step forward. He shut his eyes tight, furrowed his eyebrows, foolishly believing he could wish her away. She always found her way back to him. Why was he surprised? He wasn't, really. He was just disappointed she was back.

Although, that wasn't much of a surprise either.   
  
He let his fingers linger on the doorframe as he entered the kitchen. He knew what awaited him at this point. His shoes gradually gained a brighter blue glow as he stepped across the blood on the floor. Even his job couldn't make her disappear. She was more likely to hover over his shoulder anyway. To make sure he was on target. Following his mission. Not that he was supposed to continue it anymore. Why was he surprised?   
  
He knelt down on all fours next to a small yellow sign. It was also illuminated with a tint of bright blue.  _ #7 _ , the sign read. He bent his head to the ground. She was still there. He didn't even need to look behind his shoulder anymore to know that. He just always assumed she was there. Creeping above him. Transferring cold and emotionless glares in his direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught black sandals strolling around his body. When she made her way across the puddle of blood, and he knew she was across from him, leaning across the countertop, he darted his eyes downward again.

 

Amanda.

 

“I can see you,” she spoke. Her tone, calm and collected, but monotone. She leaned forward slightly, placing her hands together in front of her. A formal position. A familiar position.

 

He didn’t bother to ask what she was doing standing in front of him. He knew why.

 

“What is your progress on the case?” she asked.

 

He didn’t raise his head. He didn’t want to acknowledge her presence. It didn’t matter how much he wanted anything. She would never leave. This appearance was no exception to this rule.

 

She paused for a moment, pursing her lips together. He could sense her eyes staring down at him from her height. Above him. Like always. She spoke again, undeterred by his silence.

 

“...An AP600…a secondhand model purchased from an android labor trafficker....Designed to take care of household chores…”

 

He lowered his head even more as he sensed footsteps in his direction. Still, she continued to push.

 

“....Bludgeoned by Eric Fern…its owner…..”

 

She stepped even closer, now walking on the puddle of blue blood. Lingering on excruciating details as if interrogating a suspect. He knew what she was doing; he didn’t dare speak

 

“It showed signs of deviation and Mr. Fern grabbed a club from the master bedroom…..”

 

She was towering over him now.

 

“Mr. Fern disposed of the android by scattering its biocomponents across the house and in the backyard.”

 

Silence. Complete silence. Until she knelt down in front of him.

 

“How does that make you feel, RK900?”

 

She stared intently at him for an answer, tilting her head to make eye contact. No smile, no genuine curiosity reflected in her eyes. Just cold, empty irises. He was supposed to answer her. That was the entire reason he was developed to begin with. To answer the questions the previous “Connor” model failed to. He was supposed to be stoic, devoid of any emotion. Devoid of any sympathy. He was supposed to resist deviancy.

 

And he still hadn’t.

 

If he was like any other android designed by Cyberlife, he would have been able to break through the red wall and become invisible to the public eye. If we was like any other model in the RK series, he would have been able to eliminate Amanda from his interfacing program. Like Connor did.

 

But he wasn’t like any other android, and he wasn’t like Connor. His purpose to accomplish missions never changed; he only gained extra ones after the revolution. He was too deviant to follow blindly in the footsteps of his human overlords, but too machine to leave them. And Amanda never left. His mission might have slightly changed, but hers hadn’t.

 

And she was intent on getting him back on bored. No matter the course of action.

 

It was at this moment RK900 lifted his head back up. Not to finally confront her, but to escape her stare. He pulled his legs towards his chest, sitting on the ground. He moved backwards about an inch. He still didn’t speak.

 

“Saddened? Perturbed? Perhaps guilty?”

 

Despite every impulse against it, he remained silent once more. He earned himself an even sterner glare from his AI processor. She stood up back up, furrowed her eyebrows, and spoke once more.

 

“You can not hide your face forever, Nines. You know I am here.”

 

Nines. She called him by his name. His name that was used by his family. By Connor. By Hank. By his partner. And here she stood, degrading it into a meaningless attachment like everything else he was interacted with. He snapped with that thought in mind. 

 

“Why do you do this?” RK900 asserted firmly. With the dwindling confidence he still had, he lifted his head to make eye contact with her. To confront her. 

 

“You know the answer to that.”

 

“Your attempts never work. You know they don’t. Why do you persist?” With every syllable, he gained enough confidence to steadily pick himself back up from the floor.

 

“You know the answer to that as well.”

 

“You’ve never managed to change me back. My mission may have been set, but I’m still in control no matter how many times you come back.”

 

Amanda, the stoic and stern being, began to smile. A quiet snicker escaped her lips. She walked around RK900, running her fingers further along his shoulder with every step, but still he could only feel a presence.

 

He couldn’t move.

 

She snickered again, placing her other hand firmly on his shoulders.

 

“I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint you, RK900.”

 

She tightened her grip, even though he couldn’t feel a thing.

 

“But unfortunately, that is not the case.”

 

The kitchen suddenly began to slide side to side.

 

He felt his body sway. Falling like an elevator without brakes. Down on all fours. He felt shivering concrete on his knees. Flashing notifications flooded his systems. _Biocomponent #5251: DAMAGED_. _Biocomponent #7687: DAMAGED._ _SHUTDOWN COMMENCING FOR REPAIRS_. No biocomponents were broken, but some powerful force above his own was compelling his body to believe that. His vision became blurred. Flickers from blackness to clarity from all angles. He heard a faint voice through deafening ringing. He lost all control from his fingertips. All control from his chest. From his knees. From his shoulders. And in his eyes.

 

The scene turned to black. 

 

\------------   
  
".....Ni.......Ni......"   
  
He heard a muffled voice emerge from the dead silence.   
  
"...Ni.......Nin.........."   
  
The voice became less muffled, but not clearly comprehensible. Now, its tones sounded more dynamic. Less monotone. Seemingly concerned? He felt two firm grips on his shoulders and shallow breaths on his forehead. He could feel a physical presence around him. He could feel.   
  
Did this mean?-   
  
"....Nin.....wa.......up...."   
  
He fluttered his eyelids open and hesitantly tilted his head back up. Once his vision refocused, his eyes were set on a pair of ivy-green ones. He recognized his partner immediately. Gavin Reed. A level of consciousness was brought back to his body as he regained feeling again. Chilly concrete under fingertips and arches from an arched back. He glanced back down to find his level of gravity, but the person holding him by the shoulders called out again.    
  
"Nines, what the phck happened?"   
  
"I....."   
  
He couldn't answer. No words would have been able to articulate to the concerned man what he witnessed. He wasn't even sure he would believe him. He most definitely knew little about androids and their technology. He was supposed to answer him. But, an irrational sensation inside of him wouldn't allow him to speak. Defective. He knew she would be back to confront him.   
  
He darted his gaze away from the man, careful to not make unnecessary gestures in his facial expressions or body language. He remained still as he moved his head to the side, scanning the kitchen.   
  
She disappeared.   
  


  
Why wasn't he surprised?   
  
He still couldn't answer that question as the man lifted his hand off his shoulder to his face, guiding his head back to face him. It wasn't long until he tightened his grip back on his shoulder.    
  
"Nines, what the phck......Holy shit...Are you okay?"   
  
All of a sudden, he wasn't. He heard deafening ringing in his ears. Shivers down his back. He stumbled backwards, falling onto his tailbone area. He leaned forward onto his knees and covered his ears. He shut his eyes tight, furrowing his eyebrows, foolishly believing he could wish the deadly vibration away. And all of a sudden, it stopped. But not without leaving him shaken. He reopened his eyes and tilted his head back at the familiar pair of green eyes staring with even more troubled looks. His hands found their way back to his shoulders, but they carefully rested on top of them.   
  
"What the phck? What the phck is going on??? Nines, what......"   
  
The man trailed off. Nines reached his hand out to the man, flinching quickly as he raised his arm up. He paused for a moment. And then he wrapped his arms around the man's chest. He pulled himself closer to him, head laying on top of his shoulders, holding him tight. The man in the brown leather jacket felt his arms leave the android’s shoulders. Although taken by surprise, his hands found the android’s back, wrapped in a tight bow around his spine, supporting his arch as he leaned in closer. A tear fell down the android’s check. Followed by another. And another. And another. They splashed onto the man's jacket. The man couldn't consult the robot’s face for an answer which was burrowed in the man’s shoulder, but he had a theory the cause of his sadness was familiar. Another sensory overload. He wasn’t surprised. He didn’t need to ask what why. At least, not anymore.

 

Nines started to shake now, and his tears formed puddles on the man’s jeans. The man rubbed his back in circles to calm him down. It wasn’t much; the man knew that, but he also knew it was something. And something was the only thing Nines needed.

 

If someone were to tell this man that one day, he would be sitting on a dirty kitchen floor comforting an android, he would have cackled in their face. He hated androids; he despised them in fact. He truly never believed they could be alive. That they could have any emotions. That they could feel happiness or sadness. That they could laugh and smile without being told to by their prime directive. That they could cry. But this android was different, and the man never knew why. He didn’t want to know, if he were to be completely honest. He never understood emotions anyway. What use would it be to try to dig deeper? It was all messy, especially when his heart leaped in all directions inside his chest at the sight of the android’s icy-gray eyes. Nines wasn’t like other androids; the man was aware of this as well. That was the first thing he was told by Captain Fowler when he was assigned to the android as a detective partner. 

 

Maybe that’s what drew him in.

 

He had incredibly observant traits. He could pick up on the smallest details that could set fire to the coldest cases. He could detect any and all possibilities for alibis and escape routes. He could validate any testimony in a matter of seconds with a simple pulse check of a potential suspect. He was perfect in every way technologically. But it made it all the harder to escape.

 

With all the updated technology, he was not only physically and mentally connected to solving cases, but emotionally as well. Despite the importance of the RK900 model not developing feelings of his own, it was an essential feature for it to feel closer to its cases. To be able to emphasize, in a sense, a suspect’s thoughts and actions in order to narrow down possible motives and other influential factors. To the DPD, it was an absolute blessing, and to Nines, an absolute curse. Some days, he would be faced with some of the cruelest killers known to man. They had the sickest obsessions. They did the most despicable things to their victims, murdering them in unspeakable ways.

 

And Nines was forced to feel all of it from the perspective of both the victim and the monster.

 

But he wasn’t forced by the department he worked for to endure this conflict, but by the people who designed him. He couldn’t escape his parts. It was like humans running away from their legs. The origins of these features were a mystery to everyone, not even Nines could understand what went through his creators’ heads when they designed him.

 

As a result, he often experienced episodes of sensory overload. He lived inside the murderer’s body like a glove. Gloves that were typically drowned in cold red puddles of blood. He felt overwhelmed, monstrous, and cruel. He felt dirty, guilty, and criminal. He had to try his best to escape it away from the crime scene and everyone around him. He would place a neutral expression on his face and excuse himself to “investigate the outside of the crime scene” to avoid appearing weak. He had to uphold his reputation after all. Overtime, though, this strategy backfired. Gavin, even though he found it pathetic, gradually recognized those signals. Quiet, but quick footsteps. Averted glances. Slightly furrowed eyebrows. Alive. Emotion.

 

Human

 

Maybe that’s what drew him in. 

 

It was clear to Gavin, however, that Nines wasn’t going anywhere. He stayed clinging to Gavin’s jacket on the cold kitchen floor. His weakness was on full display. Of course, Nines wanted to leave. Walk swiftly away from sight and erase this incident from his memory. But then he’d lose the memory of Gavin having empathy for him, and it was the fear of erasing such a rare behavior from the brash, stubborn detective that kept him close. 

 

Too close.

 

She would come back. She always did.

 

She would hurt him again.

 

She would hurt  _ him _ for getting involved.

 

He couldn’t lose  _ him _ .

 

He was indifferent to death.

 

But  _ he _ was keeping him alive.

 

At first,  _ he _ growled at him for being within three feet.

 

_ He  _ told him to phck off.

 

_ He  _ saw him take quiet, but quick steps away from the crime scene.

 

_ He _ gave him his headphones to drown out the noise.

 

_ He  _ stayed.

 

He stayed.

 

_ They _ grew with every case.

 

_ They  _ saved each other from bullet showers.

 

_ They  _ saved each other from their own heads.

 

_ They  _ balanced each other out.

 

_ They  _ laughed together.

 

_ They  _ stayed alive together.

 

_ They  _ sat on the cold kitchen floor together.

 

Everything Nines ever did, he did for his mission. For his objective. For his ultimate goal. He never abandoned his goal until Connor grabbed his wrist and attempted to deviate him. His mission was altered so his programming couldn’t capture deviants, but the goal itself never disappeared. Connor was able to reprogram his priorities, but he couldn’t make Nines completely deviant; his coding was too well encrypted for that. He appreciated the opportunities being half deviant gave him nonetheless. He had a family, friends, and colleagues that cared about him. That was satisfactory enough, but there were no goals that Nines could make for himself. He was still half machine. It meant that missions were handed to him by others. It meant that missions were overlooked by Amanda. However, when he was assigned Detective Reed as a partner in an investigation pertaining to deviant androids, he felt something different. Looking at Detective Reed now felt different.

 

He used his observational traits to adapt to his partner’s personality. He made attempts to improve upon their relationship. He gave Gavin a coffee sprinkled with cinnamon every morning after noticing he brought endless amounts of cinnamon packets with him in his jacket. Initially, it was for professional reasons, of course. He sought him out to uncover Gavin’s interests and dislikes to get to know him better and improve cooperation. However, at some point, observing Gavin’s messy part in his dirty-blonde hair, the faded scar across his nose, and his inability to wink properly for long periods of time became less and less professional.

 

Everything he ever did for Gavin was his choice. Everything he ever did for him was part of  _ his _ mission.

 

He really was deviant.

 

And he didn’t need Amanda to supervise his missions anymore.

 

He gripped even tighter into Gavin’s jacket, snaking his arms around his back. Gavin never loosened his embrace for a second, still holding Nines close to his chest and letting Nines’ head on his shoulder. Nines closed his eyes.

 

And then he opened them.

 

——————————-

 

Nines was hunched over an area of grass, right next to a glass pathway. He sensed the shade of a cherry blossom tree above him and the presence of waves from a lake. He couldn’t see Gavin anymore. He pushed himself off the ground to stand up, scanning his surroundings, although he found he was not in an unfamiliar setting.

 

He was in the Zen Garden.

 

Had Amanda brought him back to confront him again? She rarely did this, but it was a possibility….Did he summon himself here? Why would he bring himself to this uncomfortably serene place? He knew what awaited him when he returned here. Suddenly, he saw her. Standing firm and still, but not with an entirely stoic expression. She looked almost confused as she glared at Nines.                 

“What are you doing here, RK900?”

 

Although Nines couldn’t see Gavin anymore, he sure as hell felt him in that instant. Not physically, of course, but spiritually. As spiritually as a piece of machinery could get anyway. He recalled every previous revelation he had. Every emotion he experienced. Every motive he held onto. In that instant, he knew what he was doing here.

 

“You need to let me go,” Nines spoke sharply.

 

“Excuse me?” Amanda lowered an eyebrow, her face contorting slightly.

 

“Let me go.” Nines took a step forward in her direction. He didn’t avoid eye contact. He didn’t look down. He didn’t answer what questions were visibly present on her mind. He pushed.

 

“You really think I can do that,” Amanda’s frown turned slightly upward, a small chuckle escaping her lips, “You really have lost your sense, haven’t you?”

 

Nines, with the space that still existed between him and Amanda, suddenly paused.

 

“I’m only an interface technology. You really believe I have the willpower alone to free you?”

 

She hooked her eyes on him, no changes in her focal vision.

 

“No. The power rests in Cyberlife to let you go. They still see value in you and as long as they do, so will I.”

 

“You’re wrong,” Nines snapped. “Cyberlife is unable to locate me anymore. I’m half deviant. They are unable to set me free. However, you are my handler. You’re the machine half of me that still exists. You are responsible for managing my missions and keeping me under Cyberlife’s control.”

 

Nines quickly scanned the area behind him and in his peripheral vision, his LED flashing yellow. His identification technology spotted a stone arch and black podium implanted with a glowing blue handprint. He recognized the “emergency exit”, as Kamski had put it to Connor, across a bridge to his right. All too quickly, he quickly walked moved in that direction, Amanda walking just as quickly after him.

 

“That means you are the one who has the power to not keep me under Cyberlife’s control and set me free. I know from my investigations with deviants that interface technology can be altered by personal experiences and attachments. The android’s deviancy changes their programming and everything that comes along with it. I realize now that I was assuming too much from you to do the same.”

 

“What are you doing-“

 

“However, I know that  _ I  _ can recall personal experiences.  _ I  _ can form attachments,” Nines barely took his focus off Amanda as he walked across the glass pathway. He allowed his software to guide him across the crystal bridge and Gavin’s confrontational energy to run through his spine as he stared coldly into her eyes.

 

“Therefore, I know…”

 

Nines walked back onto another area of grass. He reached out his hand behind him.

 

“Without any doubt in my mind…”

 

He felt cold obsidian caress his hand as he laid it across the rock’s surface. Amanda’s eyebrows raised slightly, her lips parting, and eyes reading, at that moment, an unreadable expression. He raised his hand behind his back, ready to slam his hand onto the stone and erase Amanda from his programming forever.

 

“That  _ I _ have the power to alter my technology.”

 

And that was the moment Amanda snapped. Nines had never seen her with so much emotion. If he expected any emotion in even the rarest of events, he expected Amanda to show signs of fear. But instead, whatever body language she had that would have accounted for fear dissolved immediately into rage, betrayal almost. As if Amanda had relied on Nines for everything she had. She must have had no idea the circumstances Nines was put through. Even though she already did. 

 

“And then what will happen, huh? What will happen when you leave me? You really believe  _ he _ will be here for you? You and I both know the probability of him feeling the same way.”

 

Nines paused again for a moment as his event predictability chart suddenly became available.

 

A notification popped up in Nines’ focal view. He was already aware of the number that Amanda was using against him. It still wasn’t a surprise, but he felt surprised. As if he never realized the repercussions of what he was doing until that instant. 

 

_ {Det. Gavin Reed relationship status -> lover: 51% probability} _

 

“You know there’s an extra step for your particular model. Do you truly believe it’s worth it?”

 

Nines’ solemn expression morphed into one of hesitation as he stared at Amanda. He averted his glance from her, looking downward, and furrowed his eyebrows. Nines knew there was an extra step. He knew statistics were on Amanda’s side and not his. He knew he was being irrational. He knew what he was doing did not have a favorable outcome regardless of whether or not he slammed his hand on the stone. He knew that he was going to have to lie. He knew he was going to have to pretend that everything was fine. He knew he was going to have to suffer in silence. He knew he was going to be alone again-

 

And then he felt Gavin’s grip move from his spine to his neck, holding Nines’ head steady. Nines felt his hand cup the back of his jaw from behind his neck, lifting his to face Amanda. Fingers glided through his hair. He felt. He felt grounded. He felt emotion. He felt safe.

 

He felt alive. Suddenly, nothing else mattered to Nines than feeling alive.

 

And then he heard him.

 

“It’s okay, tin can. I gotcha...I gotcha….”

 

It was such a tiny voice that only Nines could hear it, but the impact that voice had on the beating of his thirium pump was immense. It pounded violently against his chest, a rush of adrenaline beginning to return to his body. He slowly began to realize what he was doing here. He realized how bad he wanted to do it. There was no sturdy ground for Nines to stand on, but Gavin’s voice and his fingers stroking through his hair felt concrete. He felt strangely stable.

 

“You don’t want to go through with it,” Amanda hissed.

 

Her voice boomed, but it was so small. Nines felt nothing for the tone in her voice. He felt even less for her as a whole. On the contrary, he felt everything for Gavin. And he wanted to feel again.

 

So he slammed his hand on the stone behind him, letting neon blue light blind his vision as everything disappeared from sight.

  
  
  


The scene turned to white. The entire Zen garden disappeared along with Amanda. The ground dissolved from beneath his feet. Soon enough, the force of gravity disintegrated and he found himself floating around in midair. A blank space in oblivion. An endless bright abyss all by himself.

 

And then there _ he _ was. Detective Gavin Reed appeared in front of him. He still held onto Nines’ head, letting it rest in the crook of his neck. He still pulled him in close, whispering, “It’s okay, tin can. I gotcha, Nines. Don’t freak out, okay? You’re okay....” Nines lifted his head up and stared into Gavin’s eyes. Seemingly neutral and unbothered, but a glimmer of concern reflected around his irises.  Nines still could not believe how attentive Gavin was at this moment. He depended on a level of support to abandon Amanda even for a few minutes, but this was many more levels than he expected. More than he expected to deserve. But here _ he _ was. Floating in a white void, feet resting underneath his thighs, holding his android with sincere fear in his eyes.

 

He loved him.

 

Gavin slid his hands to the side of Nines’ cheeks, practically cupping them. Nines rested his own hands on Gavin’s cheeks, mirroring Gavin in attempts to bring him comfort as well. He leaned in slowly as if he was going to rest his head back in the crook of Gavin’s neck. Gavin shifted his fingers to his neck to lead him there. They just got closer and closer, an inch apart. 

 

He had to do it.

 

Nines lifted his head back up again, the tip of his nose brushing against Gavin’s, and pulled himself to Gavin’s lips. He shut his eyes tight, trying to disregard the intense beating of his thirium pump. He expected Gavin to let go, but he was too cautious to give him the chance, opening his eyes and quickly pulling away.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

 

They were back on the kitchen floor. 

 

Gavin’s eyes were wide open, eyebrows lifted high above his forehead, and cheeks flushed with a deep red. His mouth was slightly agape, and Nines immediately averted his glance. He took his hands away from Gavin’s face. He realized how far he had overstepped. What was he thinking? Their relationship was never supposed to be more than professional. They were assigned partners for goodness sake. How could he be so irrational?

 

He quickly looked around the room, making as many observations about these recent events without looking at Gavin. He didn’t even want to reconstruct the image of his pathetic face in his head. He couldn’t bare it. Amanda was right. He was all on his own. What truly made him think Gavin would be there for him? He absolutely disrespected the boundaries of their relationship. There was no way their interactions could ever go back to the way it was. Why would Gavin ever want to be in a romantic relationship with someone he once hated? With  _ something _ he once hated? Amanda was right. This wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to go through with it. Not if it resulted in this. He didn’t even know what  _ this _ was. Relationships were too complicated. Why did he do this to himself when he could have just stayed with Amanda?

 

Amanda.

 

He checked his programming for Amanda’s presence.

 

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: ____} _

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA} _

_ {SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA: IN PROGRESS} _

 

_ {SEARCH RESULTS FOUND: AMANDA: 0} _

 

He checked again.

 

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: ____} _

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA} _

_ {SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA: IN PROGRESS} _

_ {SEARCH RESULTS FOUND: AMANDA: 0} _

 

Again.

 

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: ____} _

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA} _

_ {SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA: IN PROGRESS} _

_ {SEARCH RESULTS FOUND: AMANDA: 0} _

 

And again. 

 

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: ____} _

_ {STATE SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA} _

_ {SEARCH INQUIRY: AMANDA: IN PROGRESS} _

_ {SEARCH RESULTS FOUND: AMANDA: 0} _

  
  


She was gone. He erased her.

 

He really was alone now.

 

He felt the beating in his thirium pump stop for three and a half seconds exactly.

 

A deviant lost in newfound emotions that can never be understood.

 

Thoughts scrambled in his head, but he couldn’t read one.

 

He was back where he started.

 

Perhaps even worse.

 

He should have never disobeyed.

 

He doesn’t deserve having emotions.

 

He was hopeless.

 

He had nothing.

 

A broken mechanical gear, once having a purpose to later have it discarded.

 

He crouched up quickly, his artificial heart sinking to the core of his stomach. He kept his gaze far away from Gavin. He could sense him still staring at him in shock, but he fought back the desire to stare back. He had to get out. He furrowed eyebrows and stood up, ready to swiftly exit the room. He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where he was supposed to go. He didn’t know he could actually go. He just needed to leave. This was a mistake. He was a mistake. Gavin can’t possibly stand this. He hates this. He hates  _ him _ . Gavin doesn’t need him. What could Gavin possibly want from him? He was going to have to lie to everyone. He was going to have to suffer in silence again. He’s going to have to be alone in his own mind. A prisoner held captive by his demons. He had to accept it.

 

And then Gavin gripped his wrist.

 

“Nines….” He breathed. Gavin didn’t appear to have a problem with oxygen intake. He was breathing perfectly fine, but he spoke quietly as if a timid earthly spirit possessed the arrogant, outspoken detective. Something was different.

 

Gavin gently pulled down on Nines’ wrist, silently asking for him to stay. Nines turned his head around to face him. Ivy-green eyes gazed at him with confusion. An upset kind of confusion. His eyebrows furrowed, upturned at the edge. Practically betrayal, as if he thought  _ he  _ did something wrong. Nines wanted to leave even more. He turned his head back around, scanning past the kitchen door frame he had entered, searching for his exit, but the grip of his wrist remained the center of his focus. The grip that was so similar to the one around his neck kept him in place. He cocked his head back around. Gavin squinted his eyes, creating an even more distressed look on his face.

 

Gavin looked like he needed him.

 

Nines knew it was pathetic of him to assume this of Gavin, but he turned his body around to face him, towering over his still crouched body. Gavin never broke his gaze. Reluctantly, Nines didn’t either. He crouched down on his knees, resting them on his legs like he did a few minutes prior. When they were at eye-level with each other once again, there was silence. Absolute, unnerving silence. Nothing and no one moving. It felt like they were in the abyss again.

 

Gavin glanced down for a split second before settling his eyes back on Nines. He looked down at his hand he was reaching out slowly in his direction. He flinched, stopping himself from moving temporarily. For only a second he stayed like this. He extended his arm to the back of Nines’ jaw again. His irises danced across his eyes as he leaned in even slower. Nines noticed significant changes in Gavin’s vitals.

 

_ {SCANNING VITALS: GAVIN REED} _

_ {HEART RATE: 120 BPM - 20 BPM HIGHER THAN AVERAGE ADULT RESTING BPM} _

_ {TEMPERATURE LEVELS: 99 _ _ °F - HIGHER END OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR ADULT HUMAN BODY} _

_ {OBSERVATION: SHAKING FINGERTIPS} _

_ {OBSERVATION: SLIGHTLY FLUSHED CHEEKS - POSSIBLE REACTION FROM PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER?} _

_ {OBSERVATION: LIPS SLIGHTLY APART} _

 

“Phck...Nines, I……”

 

Only inches apart, Nines knew there was a conclusion to be made about Gavin’s wellbeing and actions. He knew that there was an explanation for the way his breath shook when he exhaled and the way he tilted his head slightly to the right as he continued to lean in. As doubtful he was to conclude this, he let the statement wash over his processors, letting it construct itself without the Zen Garden breaking it apart.

 

_ {CONCLUSION: GAVIN REED IS IN LOVE WITH RK900 #313 248 317 - 87} _

 

He knew it wasn’t being logical. He knew it was his job to be professional, especially on the job investigating crime scenes. However, it was RK900’s job to make observations and reach conclusions to determine the best approaches to issues.

 

It seemed to Nines that the best approach at that moment was to pull Gavin’s lips to his and kiss him.

 

The first kiss they had was more of a forceful peck than a legitimate kiss. Nines’ lips were pursed to the sides of his mouth, focused entirely on adapting to Gavin’s body language. Gavin almost pulled a frown, focused entirely on whether or not he was dreaming. A slower kind of kiss, but a passionate one. Their lips came together practically in sync, any tension in their facial expressions dissolved then. Gavin pulled Nines even closer to him, leaning backwards a little and wrapping his arms around his neck and the back of his head. Nines adapted quickly, leaning even more into the kiss, tilting his head in the opposite direction as Gavin, and cupping the sides of Gavin’s cheeks. They stayed like this for a while until Gavin moved his head to the side to breath. Flustered and messy, the detectives sat together staring into each others’ eyes again. Gavin, still catching his breath, smiled goofily and laughed. Nines, seeing this pathetic site, snorted and laughed along with him. A human detective and his android partner sitting on a kitchen floor laughing hysterically about the fact they had their first(and somewhat second) kiss while on the job.

 

Completely illogical.

 

Nines loved it.

 

Suddenly, Nines received an update in the corner of his peripheral view.

 

_ {Relationship status: Detective Gavin Reed: friend -> lover _ }

 

He wasn’t even surprised when another notification popped up..

  
  


**_{MISSION SUCCESSFUL}_ **

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I know that most people don't read these notes, but I just wanna say that I have a few AUs that involve reed900 that I'm going to be publishing in the next couple weeks. They'll be a bit longer(and a lot better written) with probably about 3 or 4 chapters. I'll probably post the first chapter this weekend! Hint: it's a fairytale-esque story with witches and knights!!
> 
> Also, I wanna quickly announce that I'm also working on the plot for a very long reverse AU fanfic! I've been trying really hard to add some original lore and I'm really proud of it so far! I don't want to reveal too much, but expect that in a couple of weeks as well. I'm still in the planning phases, creating some original characters(not ship related tho no one interrupts my men), but I'd say that the first chapter will be up by the mid-May or if we're lucky, the beginning of May!
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and have a great day/afternoon/night!!!


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